Wakefield Hospice has won a prize of clinical lighting solutions, worth £10,000, donated by Visualite.

The hospice was announced as the winner during the European Healthcare Design Awards 2020 closing ceremony, which was hosted this year virtually. It will now benefit from installation of the solutions, which aim to create a relaxing ambience, help calm anxiety, reduce claustrophobia, enhance wellbeing, and offer a source of distraction for patients. 

The competition saw Visualite, in collaboration with Luxna Lighting and YESSS Electrical, team up with Salus Global Knowledge Exchange. It was open to any department treating and caring directly for patients, in any healthcare facility operating within the primary, community, secondary or tertiary care sectors in the UK. 

To enter, teams were invited to submit information in a number of areas, including: demonstrating their knowledge of the impact of the environment on patient recovery; describing their department’s vision for their internal environment; and illustrating how staff, patients, families and visitors would benefit from the installation of the lighting solutions.

The entries were assessed by two expert judges: Jonathan West, senior fellow at Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art; and Tricia Down, head of sustainable health and capital planning, North Bristol NHS Trust.

The competition attracted a fantastic response and three entries were shortlisted: Solent NHS Trust, partnered with Sonnemann Toon Architects; Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and Wakefield Hospice.

Commenting on winning the prize, Alison Harwood, director of clinical services, said: “The Visualite product will enable us to bring the outside inside, helping to shine a light in our hospice and help people feel brighter. This is especially important for those who cannot access the outside or when it is too dark, cold and wet to venture out. Its non-reflective nature will also uphold privacy and therefore dignity – key aspects of care at the hospice.”

Emily Murphy, trusts fundraiser, added: “We are absolutely thrilled with this award. This year has had a significant impact on our ability to generate funds and we simply couldn’t afford to invest in such an amazing product, which is going to make a big difference for everyone who uses the hospice. I cannot wait to see it installed.”

Steve Nelson, creator of Visualite Clinical Lighting Solutions, commented: “We at Visualite would like to thank everybody that entered this year’s 10K but would especially like to congratulate Wakefield Hospice on their outstanding application and understanding of the Visualite clinical lighting solutions system. Many environments lend themselves to Visualite but we can really see how our system will have an amazing impact on patients, staff and visitors. Congratulation and well done.”